


The Lights and Buzz

by doodlestrudel



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Indie Music RPF, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Christmas Fluff, I can totally see Miles naming his kid Ringo, M/M, Pretend they have accents, Rating May Change, Single Parents, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, depends if i make another part, sappy bullshit, the nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 15:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8719699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doodlestrudel/pseuds/doodlestrudel
Summary: Alex is a broke college student who gets a job as an elf for Santa in a mall, Miles is a single dad and takes his kid to said Santa. Cuteness ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is something I randomly decided to do today after seeing [this](http://prettyvisitorsinthebakery.tumblr.com/post/153903124842/hellyeahnickomalley-fuckyeaharcticmonkeys) photoshoot, and bringing up the idea to my dear Dani. It's just bad fluff, really. And I love Christmas fics. Alex is 22, Miles is 28. Late FWN Alex, and I imagined Miles exactly how he looks in that Modern Dandy video he was in awhile ago. I might write a second part, I'm not sure yet. Anyways, enjoy!

Alex made a face as he stood in front of the dressing room mirror; examining his ridiculous outfit as he tried not to audibly groan. He felt a bit like an outsider, everyone surrounding him was buzzing with excitement over what the day's events would bring, while Alex just found himself wanting to grin and bear it before sulking back to his dorm room. He kept trying to remind himself how much he needed the money as he slipped on a pair of silicone elf ears, his disdain for what he was about to put himself through becoming increasingly obvious. He jumped as he suddenly felt a slender arm around his neck and a female's voice in his ear.  
  
“Hey, I promise it's not as bad as it seems. Sure, some of the parents are wankers and the kids can be brats, but it's manageable. They're all focused on Santa anyway, they don't care what you're doing.” She whispered, trying to reassure him. He remembered her from orientation, and they'd been casually chatting to each other on and off since he got himself into this mess. He thought her name was Alexa, though he couldn't be entirely sure and was too embarrassed to ask her to repeat it.  
  
Alex sniffed and nodded as he reached for his hat; a wondrous shade of puke green, skimming his thumb across the red trim before pulling it over his head. He took a deep breath and smiled at Maybe-Alexa; following her lead as she took them out towards the main area. The Santa was already there; instructing everyone where to place themselves as he stood in front of his massive chair. Alex wasn't aware of how serious this whole business was, but he obediently left his acquaintance’s side as Santa told him to come stand next to him.  
  
“You're going to be one of the ones who brings the kids over to me. Make sure you do not touch them anywhere other than their shoulders or upper arms; we don't need a lawsuit on our hands.” the man said through his beard, looking at Alex expectantly. He nodded his head quickly and Santa nodded before moving on to address the other workers.  
  
Alex cringed as bright spotlights were turned on, along with strings of twinkling multicolored lights and obnoxious Christmas music. He glanced over at Maybe-Alexa in hopes that she was just as scared as he was, but with no such luck. She was smiling widely and singing softly to herself, her hands clasped together in anticipation. Alex looked down at the fake snow underneath his feet and knotted his fingers together, more out of nerves than anything else. Why couldn't he try to get a job at some fast food place like a normal person? Was he drunk through the whole interview process? He didn't even like kids all that much, they made him feel awkward; yet here he was dressed like a damned elf for their entertainment.  
  
What the fuck did he get himself into?  
  
\-----------  
  
Three hours in and Alex was ready to rip his own hair out. He wanted to retreat into a hole and be left alone for weeks. All the screaming kids and their scolding parents was too much for him to handle. He swore he ended up with all the brats who didn't want to follow the rules and run around the place. He wanted to throw his hands up in the air and tell them all to fuck off, but knew that wouldn't exactly be appropriate. Most wouldn't follow his lead to Santa, and he even had one older child make fun of his outfit. He felt more offended by that than he'd care to admit, despite being fully aware that it was a stupid costume.  
  
One of the oversized buttons on his vest had popped out of place, and the sleeves of his puffy undershirt were too short, making Alex try and tug them down further. He watched as a new wave of people came to stand in line, and he scowled as he scratched at the hair on the back of his neck. He couldn't wait for his shift to be over with; the pile of homework he had at home sounded ten times more appealing than what he was currently up to.  
  
He tried to sing a Strokes song in his head to drown out the sound of Jingle Bell Rock playing for the twelfth time that day, but to no avail. He dragged his feet over to the next child in line and smiled a weak yet passable smile before leading her over to see Santa. When she had almost reached the steps, she turned back towards Alex and spat out the gum she had been chewing, then raced up the steps to get into Santa's lap. Alex groaned and bent down to pick it up, looking around helplessly as the wet, sticky gum in his hand made him squirm. He had nowhere to put it, and so begrudgingly stuffed it into his pocket; wincing as he did so.  
  
The little girl was finished, and so Alex led her back over to her mother and walked over to who was next in line, a little boy no older than five with wide, brownish green eyes and perfectly combed dirty blond hair. He gave the child his standard fake smile and went to take him towards Santa, though was surprised when the boy grabbed his hand and tried pulling him down towards his level. Alex looked around, feeling a bit confused, though crouched down so he could find out what the kid wanted.  
  
“Are you Santa's most special elf?! He asked excitedly, grinning widely and baring his tiny teeth at the older boy.  
  
Alex raised his eyebrows, unsure of how to answer. He cleared his throat and slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, I have to make sure all the boys and girls get to him safely. It's very important. How about we go see him now?” he asked desperately, not knowing how to interact with the small child in front of him.  
  
The boy nodded his head and squeezed Alex's hand tightly, waiting for him to stand back up so he could lead the way. Alex used his free hand to push himself back up, though the lack of traction on the bottoms of his shoes made him stumble forward into someone's chest, making them grab onto Alex's elbows to try and stabilize him. Alex's cheeks flared a bright pink as he quickly stepped back, mumbling his apologies before lifting his head and finally getting a look at who he fell into.  
  
It was a man, a beautiful one at that, dressed in slightly tight black dress pants, a black shirt and suit jacket, with another jacket thrown over top, this one leather. He had a gold chain dangling from his neck, and rings on his fingers. His hair was short and dark brown, almost black, with the same hazel eyes as the little boy had. His face was scattered with coarse, black hairs, and his smooth lips were such a pretty shade of light pink. Alex felt frozen in place, and he knew he was staring and most definitely making an ass out of himself.  
  
“That's my dad!” the little boy exclaimed, pulling Alex out of his fantasy land and bringing him back to reality. Alex looked down at the grinning boy before sneaking another glance at the man in front of him, who was smiling in a similar manner. He kept his watchful eyes on Alex as the boy wrapped his free arm around his father's leg, though quickly let go and came back to Alex's side. Alex resentfully turned away from the man, knowing he was going to start pissing everyone off if he didn't hurry up.  
  
The little boy practically skipped all the way to Santa's chair, and would occasionally look up at Alex in adoration, making Alex smile back at him. He had to admit that this kid wasn't so bad, quite sweet in fact, and he had a hot dad to boot. Alex closed his eyes briefly as he shook those thoughts out of his mind, deeming them too vulgar for an event like this. The boy smiled one last time at Alex before crawling into Santa's lap.  
  
Alex stood towards the side where the kids met back up with their parents as the boy began rattling off his Christmas wishlist. He leaned against one of the golden poles holding up the red rope that everyone stood behind, sighing wistfully as he smelled a familiar cologne at his side.  
“Sorry about Ringo, he gets really worked up about these things.” a raspy voice said to him, thick with a Liverpool accent.  
  
Alex whirled around to find himself facing the man from earlier, his wide smile showing off his slightly crooked teeth. Alex found it absolutely adorable, rather than unsightly or unattractive. It gave the man character, he decided. Alex couldn't help but smile back, perhaps a bit too eagerly as he wrapped his arms around his own torso, suddenly remembering his dreadful outfit. Why did he have to meet this otherworldly man in _this _fucking outfit, of all things?__  
  
He didn't seem to mind as his smile slowly faded into a little smirk, making Alex's stomach churn. He bit his lip anxiously as he looked down at his shoes, grimacing as he said, “Sorry for er... Falling into you like that. I hate these stupid things.”  
  
He glanced down at the shoes in question, laughing softly and shrugging his shoulders. “That's alright, I don't mind it if a pretty boy wants to throw himself at me.” he replied, winking as Alex let out a tiny squeak and became a blushing mess for the second time within the past five minutes.  
  
“Sorry, I was hoping to maybe charm you a bit, not embarrass you.” the man said, laughing as he held out his hand. “I'm Miles, by the way.”  
  
Alex let out a quiet giggle, shaking his head so that his hair fell into his eyes. He took Miles' hand into his own, hoping that the way he shivered from the other man's touch wasn't too obvious. “Hello, I'm Alex.”  
  
“Alex...” Miles whispered under his breath, as though he was trying out the sound of the name on his lips. It made Alex suck his breath in and lean closer.  
  
Miles opened his mouth to speak, though was interrupted by a tiny voice next to them. “Dad!! Santa said I've been good!!”  
  
Alex looked down and smiled, there was something infectious about the little boy's spirit that made him want to join in. Miles grinned and picked him up, scrunching his nose as his son gave him a kiss on the cheek. They both looked back towards Alex and smiled in ways that made his heart melt, both for different reasons.  
  
“I like him, dad; he's the best elf.” Ringo said, pointing over at Alex with his chubby little fingers.  
  
Miles laughed as he ruffled Ringo's hair, making it stick up out of place. “I know, baby. He's nice, yeah?” he murmured, looking over towards Alex and lowering his voice as he added, “I quite like him too.”  
  
Alex was certain his heart skipped a few beats at that, and he knew he had a stupid, goofy grin on his face from the remark. He felt a twinge of sadness as Miles and Ringo waved goodbye, getting lost in the swarms of people in the mall. He wished he'd had the courage to ask for Miles' phone number, though he thought maybe this wouldn't have been the place for that anyway. Besides, Miles probably only thought it was harmless flirting, he was older and most likely had a beautiful wife or husband waiting for him at home, he didn't have any use for the broke college kid he met at the mall. At least that's what Alex tried to tell himself to avoid developing a stupid crush on the guy that he'd never see again.  
  
\----------  
  
Alex couldn't wait to get out of there, he was stuffing his costume into a gym bag before quickly tugging his shoes on and slipping his arms into his jacket. He went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet, cupping his hands underneath the running water and splashing it against his face. He grabbed a paper towel and tried to wipe the makeup off of his face, smearing it around until he finally managed to get it all. He tossed the dirtied paper into the trash can and pushed his hands through his hair, sighing in relief as he walked out of the dressing room and out into the main part of the mall. He pulled out his small little Trac phone so he could text Matt and ask him to come pick him up. He wasn't feeling the bus that night, he needed some peace and quiet.  
  
He wandered towards the food court, deciding he wanted to grab some food before he went home. He knew he shouldn't be wasting money on fast food, but surely buying some chips wasn't going to break him financially. At least not significantly. He stood in line and waited for his food, smiling when he read a response from Matt saying that he would be there in twenty. He thanked the server when they handed him his chips and turned towards the tables, looking around for an empty one that he could slink away to. Instead his eyes landed on Miles and Ringo, happily scarfing down Chinese food with a few shopping bags surrounding them.  
  
Alex tried not to smile as he watched the pair, he wanted to go and sit with them, but he didn't want to seem like a stalker. Instead he slowly walked over towards an empty table he spotted in their general direction, hoping that maybe one of them would see him and invite him over. His plan seemed to work, as he suddenly heard Ringo shouting out, “Mr. Elf!!! Dad, it's the elf!”  
  
Alex smiled to himself before turning around towards them, waving as he stood in the middle of the food court, unsure still if he should approach. Ringo began calling him over, and so he took it as his cue. He walked until he was stood behind the last empty chair at their table, smiling over at the little boy before taking a glance at Miles. He still wanted his approval for him to be there, the last thing he needed was to intrude and make himself a problem for them.  
Miles smiled sweetly at him, swallowing down a bite of his food as he motioned towards the empty chair. “Sit down, Alex. We'd love to have your company.”  
  
Alex blew out his breath as he set his food down on the table top, pulling the chair out and sitting down gingerly. He still was a little unsure about the whole thing, though thought better of it when he caught a glimpse of the way Miles was looking at him, as though he was something beautiful. It made his stomach flip, and made it nearly impossible for him to actually eat. He watched as Miles took another bite of his chow mein, and of course that gorgeous bastard knew how to use chopsticks properly; Alex always had to use a fork.  
  
He tore off a piece of chip and placed it in his mouth, taking great care in the way he ate and chewing slowly. It made Miles look at him curiously, though he didn't say anything out of fear of embarrassing the younger man. Alex swore that he saw Miles' eyes drop; grazing over his body briefly before making eye contact once more. It made Alex's breathing speed up, though he was pulled out of his trance as he felt sticky fingers touching the side of his face.  
  
“What happened to your ears?! They were a lot bigger!” Ringo exclaimed, turning to look at his father in confusion before looking back at Alex.  
  
Alex's eyes widened, he had no idea how to talk himself out of this and looked towards Miles for guidance. Instead, all he saw was Miles raising his eyebrows, his fist covering the smirk on his face as he too waited for Alex's explanation.  
  
Alex cleared his throat and sighed, scratching at his neck as he tilted his chin into his chest. “Well, uh... You see, us elves have to check up on all the boys and girls, to erm... Make sure they're behaving themselves. Santa doesn't have time to do it, so we're his helpers.. Um... then we report back to him. And he, well, he uses his special magic to make us all look like everyday people, so that way no one suspects that we're elves, and that.”  
  
Miles was trying to hold back his laughter, causing Alex to shoot him a dirty look before turning back to Ringo, hoping that he fell for it.  
  
Ringo nodded in understanding, seemingly accepting Alex's response as he picked up a piece of sweet and sour chicken. “Are you here to make sure I'm good?”  
  
Alex smiled and shook his head, reaching out and pinching Ringo's cheeks, though he wasn't sure why he did that. It made the boy giggle, at least. “Nah, I can't tell you when I'm doing that, then you might fake your behavior! Besides, it might not be me who checks on you.”  
  
“But I want it to be you! You're my favorite!” Ringo cried, his eyes wide and worried as he tossed his chicken back onto his plate. “Dad likes you too, he told me! He wants to see you too!”  
  
Miles rubbed his hand down his face as he pulled Ringo back down into his seat. “Settle down, love. Stop pestering him.” he murmured, though if Alex didn't know better, he thought he saw Miles blushing a bit. It made him smile and shift in his seat.  
  
Ringo looked back at Alex with puppy dog eyes, his lips in the form of a pout as he continued, “You like us, right; dad and me? You'll come visit us?”  
  
Alex bit down on his lip, turning towards Miles hesitantly and hoping he might step in.  
He quickly saved Alex, smiling at Ringo and patting his hand. “He's welcome to visit any time he'd like. He'll see you again, sweetheart. Hopefully he'll see dad too?” Miles responded, the last part sounding much more like a question than a statement.  
  
Alex's brows shot up as he stared across the table at the other man. Was he asking him out? Or was he reading too much into this? He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, and so quickly pulled it out to see a text from Matt saying that he was out front. He sighed and tucked the device back into his pocket, slowly standing up much to Ringo's (and what seemed to be Miles') disappointment.  
  
“I have to go now, I have important... Elf things to attend to. But I do promise that I'll visit you, yeah?” Alex said, rubbing the top of Ringo's head and making him smile approvingly. He saw Miles stand up out of the corner of his eye, and he patted the little boy's shoulder before stepping closer towards him.  
  
Miles looked a bit worried, he shot a quick glance over at Ringo before taking a deep breath. “I really do hope to see you again, Alex... Perhaps I could, erm... Take you out to dinner? Maybe go see a film?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly as a hopeful smile appeared on his face.  
  
Alex was a bit stunned to see Miles acting so nervous, considering the line he used on him earlier. It was soon forgotten, however, as what Miles had just asked him began to sink into his brain. Was Miles actually asking him out on a date?!  
  
Alex smiled shyly, looking down at the ground before meeting Miles' eyes. “Yeah, I'd love that, actually.”  
  
Miles visibly relaxed as he smiled widely, reaching out and brushing back the hair in Alex's eyes. “Great, perfect. I erm... I'll ring you, then?”  
  
Alex nodded, holding out his hand so that Miles could give him his phone. He quickly programed his name and number into his contacts before handing it back. He rocked back and forth on his feet as he reached out and gently squeezed Miles' shoulder, leaning in close so that he could whisper into his ear, “See you soon, hot stuff.”  
  
He pulled back and giggled as Miles' mouth dropped open in surprise before laughing incredulously. Alex wasn't sure where he got that shot of confidence, but Miles' reaction was well worth it. He waved goodbye to both of them as he walked away, hugging himself tightly as he started daydreaming of his date with Miles.  
  
Maybe this job wasn't so bad after all.  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me over on [tumblr](http://prettyvisitorsinthebakery.tumblr.com)!


End file.
